Stray Cats in Time
by Rizaidym
Summary: What if the Frozen Flame separated from Lavos completely? What if Kid was an inventor like Lucca? What if Serge lost an arm and his sight at Fort Dragonia? And what if Lynx sacrificed himself to save Kid in the battle against FATE? Chrono Storm Rewrite.
1. Prologue: Meeting

Hey everyone! I decided to start a Chrono Cross fanfic, and this is the result. Don't you _dare_ say that Serge is OOC! He has vocal cords and he _will_ use them, damnit! I hate the silent protagonist method of game play!

Disclaimer: If I owned Chrono Cross, this is what would have happened. Seeing as it didn't, I obviously _don't_ own Chrono Cross.

**Chrono Storm**

**Prologue: Meeting**

_R.I.P_

_Our beloved Serge, died age seven._

_Nobody can take anything away from him. Nor can anyone give anything to him._

_What came from the sea has returned to the sea._

I stood up and shook my head, cobalt eyes glinting with annoyance. _What nonsense. I'm not dead!_ I sighed and ran a hand through my hair as I attempted to analyze the situation. _I fall unconscious at Opassa Beach and when I wake up, no one recognizes me. Leena thinks that I have been dead for years, even though I had given her a Komodo scale necklace just a few hours before. Not to mention my mother seems to have up and disappeared…Perhaps I will find out just what happened if I do a bit of traveling. I'll go with the flow, 'cause this is probably just a—_ As I was about to finish my thought, a rock nailed me in the back of the head, knocking me flat on my face. _Okay, this is _not _a dream. That _hurt_!_

"So you must be Serge, the ghost of the boy who died ten years ago." I turned to address the contemplative voice and found myself face-to-face with three men, two of which were wearing yellow armor and seemed very awkward, though I couldn't put my finger on the reason. One was very tall and stick-thin, and the other was short and round as a ball with short, spiky, red hair. The man in the middle was much more elegant-looking, with pale green eyes and light blue, almost silver hair blowing in the salty sea breeze coming in from the ocean over which Cape Howl stood watch. He was dressed in white clothes, with a silver breastplate, leg-guards, boots and gauntlets. I took a step forward to address them.

"Don't move! It's no use, there's no escape in attacking. All you have to do is come with us," the man in the middle commanded. He was definitely the one who spoke before.

"But, Sir Karsh, do you think it is truly true that this chap is a ghost?" The tall one turned and asked. "He seems like a perfectly perfect young boy to me…."

"That doesn't matter!" Karsh snapped. "We found him here like _he_ said we would, now _seize him_!" At this, the three of them began to approach me, axes at the ready. I adjusted my stance and got ready to fight, when a voice rang out. Again. _What, is this Interruption Day or something?_

"Hold yer seahorses!" Everyone turned and looked up to the top of a boulder that was standing nearby, which was where the owner of the voice stood.

"Who the…?" was Karsh's less-than-eloquent response as the girl jumped from the boulder, over their heads, and landed next to me. She turned and smirked at Karsh and his cronies, silently taunting them. Karsh was the first to recover and retaliated with the now predictable threat.

"Out of the way, missy! You don't want to get hurt, now, do you?"

"Shut yer trap!" she shot back. "You're the ones who betta get outta the way."

"You have a problem?! Do you have a shakin' idea who you're dealing with, missy?" the short man shouted, an incredulous look on his face. I looked on in amusement as the taunting continued.

"That's enough! Listen up, junior," Karsh shouted, addressing me. "Our orders are to take you in. We don't want to hurt you, so just come with us, or else this axe o' mine will have to do the talking." At this, he hefted his axe onto his shoulder. Before I could retort, the girl became impatient.

"For cryin' out loud, would ya just shut up and get on with it! I'm gonna kick yer sorry arses so hard, you'll kiss the moons!"

"Fair enough, you leave us with no choice. You'll regret this, missy!" Finally, after getting fed up with Karsh's idiotic threats, I decided to join the conversation. I pulled out my Sea Swallow in preparation for the upcoming fight.

"Oh? Aren't we forgetting someone here? Keep your attention _front and center_!" I rushed forward and slashed at Karsh as I finished my sentence. I was quite surprised when I only landed three light blows, merely nicking the skin enough to draw blood. I leapt back and began to focus, activating a white Element.

"PHOTON RAY!" I extended my arm so that my palm was facing the short man and a ray of condensed light hit him in the chest, knocking him into the red stone of the cliff wall. My eyes flicked over to the girl, who was currently blasting Karsh with a red Element. I dashed behind her and kicked the taller man in the gut before he could hit her, then used an Aqua Beam Element. While I did this, I heard my ally shout out.

"Why you! Bugger off! MAGMA BOMB!"

"AH! Watch where you're aiming! That almost hit me!" The Magma Bomb did just what it was supposed to, in other words, an individual bomb hit each of our enemies. However, I just so happened to be standing in front of one such target. A gash on the girl's arm caught my attention, as did Karsh's approaching figure. I leapt up and delivered one of my infamous aerial kicks, knocking him out the instant my heel hit the back of his head.

"That was for hitting me with that rock earlier!" I shouted before turning to the girl and holding out my hand. "Here, let me see that wound. Cure." As I activated the blue Element and healed her wound, the two men in yellow managed to regroup.

"Peppor, the boy's innately innate attribute is White!" _It won't help you to know that, mister I-need-to-use-an-adverb-in-every-sentence. You can barely stand as it is. And that's not my _only _innate either…._

The short one, Peppor, turned and addressed the taller man. "Then attack him with a black Element! Or did you forget to bring one again, Solt?" I sweatdropped as the two started arguing about Elements. While they were occupied, we attacked simultaneously, ending the battle.

"S-Sir Karsh! I say we shake it on outta here, so that we can live to fight another day!" Peppor shouted as Karsh pulled himself off the ground. "Th-these aren't no ordinary brats we're dealing with!" At that, Solt and Peppor turned tail and ran.

"Damn cowards!" Karsh shouted back, then turned towards my currant ally. "As for you missy…we won't forget this!"

"Oooh, I'm soooo scaaared! I'll be happy to take ya on anytime! Think I'll lose to scum like you? Hah!" the girl taunted as Karsh retreated. "You all right, mate?" I nodded as she walked by and looked at the headstone. "Serge…yer name's Serge, ain't it?"

"Yes. Would you mind telling me yours? I'm very grateful for your help."

"Oh, me? I'm Kid, nice ta meet ya. I just couldn't stand by and watch those blokes gang up on ya like that. They just pissed the bloody hell outta me. I just wish I could've beat 'em up some more! But, why was that mob after ya?" Kid shook her head in puzzlement.

"No clue. I've never met them before." I took this conversation as an opportunity to get a better look at her. She was wearing a red vest with yellow trimming over a small white shirt, both of which were cut off just above her midsection, along with a short red skirt with yellow trimming. Her gloves and boots were made of brown leather and her belt hung loose around her hips with a light purple sheath for her dagger, which had a hilt of the same color. She also wore a light purple necklace made of beads that grew progressively smaller as they reached the clasp. The first and largest bead was about two inches in diameter and tear-shaped. The others were perfect spheres, with the last and smallest two beads about half an inch in diameter. Her golden blonde hair was kept in a segmented ponytail with multiple red bands, though it would reach down below her shoulders if it wasn't held up like that. Her eyes were a deep sapphire blue and her slightly tanned skin was adorned by six white tattoos, one on each cheek and one above and below each elbow. This observation took all of a couple seconds.

"Whaddaya mean ya've never met 'em before? Ahhhh, forget it. Oi, Serge, how about you and me team up for awhile? That Karsh fella ain't gonna just leave ya alone, that's for sure! And ta tell ya the truth, I'm new ta these islands. It's pretty lonely travelin' around here on me own. So how 'bout it Serge? Perhaps it was fate that we should meet up like this!" She stared me down with an intense gaze as she finished, but I had already chosen my answer.

"Sure! I don't like traveling alone any more than you do. It's no fun without someone to chat or spar with."

"Beauty, mate! That decides it then, we're real good mates now! Anyways, it'll be gettin' dark soon. I suggest we head to Arni and shack up for the night. Oh, and Serge? Don't go tryin' any funny stuff just coz I'm cute 'n' all." With that statement and a wink, she started walking off, leaving me with what I thought was going to be a permanent blush on my face.

"H-Hey! Hold up! Wait for me!"

"Catch me if ya can slowpoke!"

And so begins the journey of a life time…


	2. Chapter One: Scars

There's a POV switch in this chapter! Now, I don't want reviews saying stuff like "you forgot Kid's accent!" 50 percent of her thoughts and 100 percent of her narration will not have the accent attached. Get it? Got it. Good

**Stray Cats in Time**

**Chapter One: Scars**

"Oi, Serge. Wake up, mate! We gotta go now, the owner wants us out of his house." _I don't want to get up. That dream was so good.... _Groaning sleepily, I slipped out of the hammock to get my pack and weapon. _Wait, hammock? I thought I slept on the floor. Strange._ Stopping in my tracks, I reflected on my dream. The only part that I could remember was lying in my hammock with my arms wrapped around Kid, the girl I had met yesterday. She smelled like cinnamon, vanilla and, to my surprise, blood. Strangely enough, I found the scent rather pleasant. When I had first woke up I had chalked it up to hormones, but now.... Kid's voice broke me from my thoughts.

"You gonna stand there like a statue all day, or are ya gonna join me in getting' some grub?" _May as well ask._ I thought. Gathering up my stuff, I popped the question.

"Hey, Kid? How did I end up in the hammock? I thought I was sleeping on the floor." Kid frowned.

"Well, normally I wouldn't sleep with a stranger, hell, I'd kill em if they tried, but due ta the situation...." She trailed off and her frown deepened, a troubled cloud gathering in her eyes. I was unable to hide my curiosity.

"Situation?" I asked. Kid pinned me with an apologetic, almost regretful look.

"You were screamin' mate. Screamin' bloody murder. It was a good thing the bloke that lives 'ere was out all night, or he mighta thought I was tryin' ta kill ya. Took me 'bout an hour ta calm ya down. Sorry, mate. I know somethin' about nightmares and I'm sure ya'd rather I didn't see yer moment of weakness. Hell, I know I wouldn't want some bloke I just met to see me in one a' my nightmares. I'd be fuckin' pissed. But I know that company helps with dreams so I moved you into the hammock. I sure as hell wasn't gonna sleep on the floor, no sir!" Kid ended her mini-speech with a playful uppercut and we started laughing. While we were getting over our mirth, I realized something. Towards the end of her speech, her accent had started to fade, but then suddenly reappeared in her final sentence. The focus on her accent brought my attention to her voice. Such an oddity. Even with her Australian accent and slang-filled vocabulary, her voice was still soft and melodious, even though she tried hard to sound gruff. _I'll bet she is a wonderful singer...gah! Snap out of it Serge!_

***POV Change: Kid***

While we were laughing, I silently cursed myself for letting down my guard. _Why the hell did I do that? What was I thinking, dropping my accent like that! I know it was no accident: in order to lose my accent I have to force it down._ But still, there was something...familiar about Serge. Like I had met him before, like I could trust him with anything. And that scared me. My distrust of others was what had kept me alive for the past ten years, but for some reason...I couldn't find it in myself to distrust Serge. I thought back to the night before and Serge's nightmare.

---Flashback---

I awoke to a terrifying, bloodcurdling scream of fear and pain. Looking around for the cause, my eyes fell on Serge, who was thrashing wildly and clawing at his throat. _He_ was the source of that hellish noise. I quickly leapt down to his side and tried to wake him up.

"Serge, wake up! Yer dreamin' mate! Snap out of it!" Instantly his eyes sprang open and I sighed with relief. I sensed something flying towards my cheek and fell backwards, barely evading Serge's right hook. "What the hell are you...doing...oh my god...." I trailed off as I stared into Serge's eyes. Empty eyes. Sightless eyes. The eyes of the betrayed. He was still dreaming, muttering under his breath as he tried to hit me, as if in self-defense. "The hell Serge, it's me, Kid." The moment my name left my lips he said his first recognizable word.

"Kid?" Suddenly he flung himself at me and began sobbing into my chest, muttering constantly. "Why? Why did he do it why did he try to drown me? Why did he break mother's heart? Father, why?" My eyes widened in realization. _His own father tried to kill him? No wonder he was screaming. Hmmm, he's calmed down a good bit. I'd better let him sleep._ No matter how hard I tried, however, he wouldn't let go, holding on to me like a security blanket. "No, please, don't go, don't leave me again, Kid" He repeated this mantra over and over again desperately clinging to me. Sighing, I pulled him into the hammock with me. My last thought before falling asleep was _he smells like licorice._

---End---

Once we had finally calmed down, Serge motioned for me to follow him.

"Come on, I know where there's a cafe that serves pretty good breakfast."

As we exited the house, Serge nodded his thanks to the man who'd let us stay and then led me across Arni Village and towards the cafe he had mentioned before. Once we had sat down and ordered, I decided to learn about my new partner a bit more.

"So mate, what're ya plannin' on doin' now? You gonna try ta figure out what those Dragoons wanted with ya?" I watched him carefully to gauge his expression.

"Not really. I've decided to just go along with what ever happens. Maybe then I'll find my way back to my world." I beamed, pleased with his reply.

"Alright! It's settled! Yer stuck as my travelin' partner now, weather ya like it 'r not." He smiled.

"I wouldn't decline for the world." As he said this, our breakfast was served and we ate in silence.

Later, we visited Arni's market to buy some Elements an provisions. Spurred on by last night's events, I observed Serge a bit more closely than I had at Cape Howl. His hair was cobalt blue, like his eyes, and he kept most of it hidden under a black bandana, with his bangs in limp spikes falling around his face. His usual attire, probably kept clean by Element like my own, seemed to have a dark color scheme. He wore a navy blue t-shirt and long black pants with a large number of pockets. Probably useful. He finished the outfit with a pair of black running shoes with navy laces. Nothing complicated, but still a bit eye-catching. As he paid the tradeswoman, I noticed something odd. He was very polite to people, but the manner in which he spoke and the way he fluctuated between using contractions and the words themselves, along with his quiet and smooth voice, gave the impression that he was constantly analyzing everyone and everything. But he didn't sound that way when speaking to me. _How strange._

"Alright, now that we've got everything, on to Fossil Valley!"

***POV Change: Serge***

As Kid and I walked along the path through Fossil Valley, my right eyebrow was twitching at a rate of about one twitch per two seconds.

"Stupid Dingo Diles, popping up every five seconds. The only upside is that if you take out the matriarch, the pups start fighting each other."

"And the loot. _Never_ forget the loot." I sighed at Kid's response.

"It's only bones and the odd fang. The gold we get isn't very noticeable."

"It's still somethin'. Besides, there's just gotta be some sorta treasure in this ol' graveyard. Oi! Pay attention mate!" I ducked as she launched a Fireball Element over my head, nailing yet _another_ Dingo Dile. I stepped back into the shadow of the valley wall behind me and stalked around behind the two pups and used my first Tech skill, Dash & Slash. White innate energy filled my weapon and I dashed forward at a speed that was almost impossible to detect sending a Dingo Pup into oblivion quickly. I checked the loot we gained and groaned.

"See? Fifty two gold and some fur. That's not a whole lot." She opened her mouth to reply when we heard two familiar voices talking to each other.

"Shake it! W-we can't just shake it on back to the manor like this! We failed in our mission!"

"That was awfully awful back there, Peppor. I want a rematch!"

"B-By the way, do you remember what kinda outfit he was in?"

"Hmmm…" Solt turned around and made eye contact with me, then surveyed my clothes. _He doesn't recognize me? How many people would forget someone that they were ordered to apprehend? These two are idiots!_

"Just something justly like that, Peppor." _Oh, I see. He _does_ recognize me._ Peppor spoke up next.

"This time, we're gonna shake it to you real good!" Suddenly Solt and Peppor charged at us.

"WOAH! Kid, look out!" I tackled Kid to the ground as Peppor launched an attack at her. We leapt back up and took on our separate enemies. I attacked Solt, leaving a long slash mark on his armor, then summoned one of the green Elements we had bought that morning.

"Bushwhacker!"

A blast of air and leaves blew upwards from underneath Solt, dealing heavy damage to the yellow innate fighter. Suddenly I felt a searing, crushing pain in my side and fell to my knees, my eyes glazed over with pain. I watched with a detached sort of feeling as Kid used her Pilfer tech skill to steal a Dragoon's Honor from Peppor and then blast him with the second Bushwhacker Element we bought.

"Tablet!" Suddenly I felt more attached to the world as the red consumable flowed over me. I instinctively brought my knee up into Solt's stomach before he could hit me with something, probably a tech skill, called Somersolt. I then tossed him aside and hit him with a Photon Ray, effectively ending the fight.

"Th-these guys are too strong! We-we're no match for 'em. Lets shake it on back to the Manor!" With that, the two turned tail and ran, leaving me to deal with a concerned –and irate– Kid.

"Oi, Serge. What happened when that midget hit you with his Pepporbox tech? It was like ya weren't there in the head, er somethin'."

I shut my eyes and sighed. _I have to show her, I can't keep secrets from my allies…or my friends. I just hope she won't pity me for this; I am strong enough to overcome my past! Then again, her actions towards me haven't changed since that nightmare...._

I turned my back to her and lifted my shirt, showing her the darkened scars that covered the right side of my back. I heard her gasp and then the rustle of a leather glove being removed. My eyes nearly rolled into the back of my head as I felt soft fingers run over the scars. _So gentle…. Who knew that she could be like this? I never would have guessed…. Hey, are these scars hypersensitive?_ Soon the sound of Kid's voice brought me out of my pleasure-induced thoughts.

"Yer really strong ta've survived whateva' did this to ya. Ya got me respect, mate. Sorry if I'm indrudin' on yer past, but what did this?"

I shut my eyes at the pain I felt radiating from the empty zone in my memory. "I…I don't know exactly. All I know from what my mom tells me is that it was a panther demon."

"Bugger…." She trailed off and closed her eyes in thought. After a few minutes she opened her eyes and smirked. "Well, those scars don't affect yer abilities, so they really only add to yer…enigmaness."

"Enigmaness. Interesting word choice." We burst out in laughter as we exited Fossil Valley, spirits high.

_Kid really is an interesting person._


End file.
